High-resolution scanning electron microscopy of the murine olfactory receptor

The anatomy of the murine olfactory receptor was analyzed using high-resolution scanning electron microscopy with the aldehyde-osmium-dimethyl sulfoxide-osmium method. A good three-dimensional image of the receptor cell architecture was obtained. Within the olfactory vesicle, a complex tubular network was found that seemed to be physically associated with adjacent organelles, the basal aspect of cilia, and the lateral plasmalemma. It is assumed that these structures may be of significance during the olfactory transduction process.